Siemens to equip StreetScooter EV with innovative electronics and software

Siemens' central research department and electric vehicle manufacturer StreetScooter are to equip an electric car with an innovative electronic and software architecture as part of the Robust and Reliant Automotive Computing Environment for Future eCars (RACE) project. For the first time ever, the architecture will make it possible to retrofit functions such as electrical brakes and systems such as lane-keeping assistants using a plug-and-play process like on home PCs. The two companies plan to incorpora
July 30, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

189 Siemens' central research department and electric vehicle manufacturer StreetScooter are to equip an electric car with an innovative electronic and software architecture as part of the Robust and Reliant Automotive Computing Environment for Future eCars (RACE) project.

For the first time ever, the architecture will make it possible to retrofit functions such as electrical brakes and systems such as lane-keeping assistants using a plug-and-play process like on home PCs. The two companies plan to incorporate the RACE architecture into an electric delivery vehicle by December 2014. The work will be conducted at Siemens' research centre in Munich, Germany. The partnership's aim is to test the new technology in practice for the first time.

The partners of the RACE project are Siemens, AVL Software and Functions, fortiss, the Fraunhofer Society, 601 TRW Automotive, RWTH Aachen, TU Munich, and the University of Stuttgart. The approximately US$27 million project, which receives funding from the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, is led by Siemens. It was launched in 2012 and will run until the end of 2014. The project aims to substantially simplify cars' increasingly complex electronics architecture.

"We think that RACE has huge potential and that it could revolutionise car design in the future," says Professor Armin Schnettler, who manages the project at Siemens central research department Corporate Technology. "We expect standardised hardware and flexible apps to be used in the future. This will greatly reduce development times while at the same time increasing customisation — not only in the automotive industry but also elsewhere." StreetScooter hopes RACE will help it to develop and adapt new functions for its cars quickly, flexibly, and inexpensively. "We want to be able to integrate updates and individualise pioneering developments for our customers," says Professor Achim Kampker, managing director of StreetScooter. "Our modular and adaptable concept makes us the ideal platform for the RACE technology."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Developments in software visualisation packages
    February 3, 2012
    Adrian Greeman looks at developments in software visualisation packages. The capacity to make visualisations has been growing in importance over the last decade, and is now a well-accepted part of consultations and client presentations. But making high-quality images of projects is still a major undertaking and larger consultancies employ specialist departments to do so. Costs are coming down but it can still take a while, and some high-capacity hardware, to produce realistic renderings from drawings and 3D
    Read More
  • Siemens acquires Republic ITS
    March 2, 2012
    Siemens Industry has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the stock of Republic Intelligent Transportation Services, headquartered in Novato, California.
    Read More
  • Ford equips autonomous cars with night vision
    April 13, 2016
    Ford recently conducted tests at its Arizona proving ground to determine how autonomous cars could navigate at night without headlights. According to Ford, it’s an important development, in that it shows that even without cameras, which rely on light, Ford’s LiDAR, working with the car’s virtual driver software, is robust enough to steer around winding roads. While it’s ideal to have all three modes of sensors, radar, cameras and LiDAR, the latter can function independently on roads without stoplights.
    Read More
  • Slough implements Siemens Comet
    October 3, 2012
    Slough Borough Council (SBC) in the UK has joined the growing number of UK local authorities to deploy the latest version of Comet, Siemens’ traffic management and information system. Comet will enable SBC to meet its policy, operational and travel information requirements including the ability to set network strategies. The solution will provide a command and control system for strategic variable message signs (VMS) and car park guidance and will also provide dynamic content to SBC’s planned internet and
    Read More

Highlighted Content